The Return of Wang Fire
by Bagna the Irate Supervillain
Summary: After discovering that his lost meteor sword is being used by the leader of a Fire Nation uprising, Sokka must go deep undercover to uncover a plot to conquer the world.  Can Wang Fire become the Fire Nation's greatest hero?  Reviews are appreciated.
1. Prologue

Joo Dee stood silently in the empty room, her teeth aching as they pressed together uncomfortably, her lips arcing painfully upwards. She estimated that she had been making this expression for nearly three hours, but she did not dare to change it. The walls had eyes, and she did not know if any Dai Li were currently watching to make sure her smile did not falter. The famous Joo Dee smile was one of the most important features of any Ba Sing Se tour guide. The smile spoke not only of the great happiness all Ba Sing Se's citizens must feel to be protected in the peaceful city, but also of the terrible price for failing to embrace that happiness. As such, Smile Time was required for all tour guides to get into the proper spirit. Joo Dee was so focused on her facial expression that she barely noticed when Long Feng walked in.

"Hello Joo Dee," said Long Feng.

Joo Dee turned to him, delighted to see that the leader of the Dai Li had taken a personal interest in her training. "Hello, sir. It is a great honor to see you here," she said. Although it caused her great pain, she made her smile even wider, determined to please her great leader.

"You can relax, Joo Dee," said Long Feng. Joo Dee tried not to show her relief as she relaxed to a neutral expression. "I want you to come with me. It is time you proved your commitment to Ba Sing Se."

Joo Dee followed as Long Feng led her into another room. In this room, two Dai Li were guarding a frightened-looking young man wearing the garb of a Fire Nation soldier. Long Feng gestured for Joo Dee to stand facing the soldier. The man was encased in stone up to his chest, his arms pinned helplessly by his sides. Joo Dee felt a brief flicker of recognition, but it was quickly replaced by a mixture of hatred and fear at the sight of an enemy of the Earth Kingdom.

"What do you see when you look at this man?" Long Feng asked.

"I see someone who would bring conflict to our peaceful city," replied Joo Dee.

"How would you defend against such a menace?" said Long Feng.

"I have no means of defending myself. Ba Sing Se is my home. There is no war in Ba Sing Se," said Joo Dee.

"Your responses are very good. Joo Dee, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai," said Long Feng.

At that sentence, Joo Dee was overwhelmed by a sense of calm and clarity. "I am honored to accept his invitation," she replied. Suddenly, when she looked at the Fire Nation soldier she did not see a menace, but a challenge.

At Long Feng's gesture, the two Dai Li backed off, and the rock imprisoning the soldier sank into the floor. The Fire Nation soldier immediately recognized Long Feng as his greatest threat, and moved to launch a fireball towards the Dai Li leader. However, the soldier had barely moved before Joo Dee delivered a crushing blow to his windpipe. Seeing her opponent's pain, Joo Dee took pride in her superiority over the soldier she had been so frightened of moments before. She continued her attack, each perfectly executed blow more lethal than the last. When she was done, she rose up from her fallen opponent to face Long Feng. The detachment she had felt while attacking the Fire Nation soldier left her, and she became aware of the blood on her hands and the dead man at her feet. However, she did not feel any fear.

Long Feng nodded his approval. "You have done well, Joo Dee. Go and wash up. We wouldn't want you to upset any honored guests who happen by."

"Thank you," said Joo Dee. She walked out, happy that her great leader was pleased. Despite her happiness, Joo Dee could not help feel vaguely distressed. During her battle, she had almost felt as though she could feel her old identity coming back with her acts of violence. Before she had felt comfortable with her identity as Joo Dee, she had fought mightily against abandoning her past life. Her past refusal to be the best tour guide she could be filled her with shame whenever she thought of it, and any attempt to remember who she had been before only brought her pain. The pain of killing the soldier had brought back some of those memories, and now she could recall her former name with surprising clarity. Her name had been Ursa.


	2. Chapter 1

Three years later…

Aang and Toph stood on top of a mountain on the outskirts of the Earth Kingdom. Aang watched for Toph's reaction as she reached out with the earthbending senses that compensated for her blindness. "There's definitely some sort of cavern under there. The shape of it doesn't feel natural. It could be what we're looking for."

At those words, Aang immediately leapt into action, eager for the possibility that their month-long search could finally be paying off. Aang's eyes and tattoo glowed for a second as he prepared to earthbend. He could feel the cavern, and could tell by the presence of ventilation shafts that it had not formed naturally. In a single move, Aang created a tunnel leading into the largest chamber. Aang then formed a platform which carried the two of them down into the cavern. The cavern consisted of a large central room supported by columns.

"Hey twinkle toes; I think your earthbending is getting less terrible. Maybe next time you can try it without going into Avatar State like a complete baby," said Toph.

"You're just jealous that you don't have tattoos that light up," said Aang.

"Your tattoos light up?" Toph replied.

"How did you not know that my tattoos light up?" Aang said, confused.

"Hey genius, it's not like you guys are constantly talking about your amazing light-up tattoos. And in case you've forgotten already, I can't actually see you when you go into Avatar State. Plus, you're dodging the real issue. When you mastered the Avatar State to beat Ozai, you hadn't actually finished your training yet. Now, your earthbending and firebending still stink because you've got the Avatar State to call on whenever you can't cut it with your real skills," said Toph.

"Hey," Aang protested, "I can't just take time off from being the Avatar. Besides, my firebending teacher is kind of busy with being the Firelord. Right now we need to focus on finding the Dai Li, so I can stop worrying about Long Feng and get back to worrying about how I'm going to address the Water Tribe's demands for war reparations when the Fire Nation's infrastructure still needs to recover from the fact that half their workers just quit because they still don't like the Avatar."

"Relax, twinkle toes. We'll find Long Feng, and you can get back to your boring diplomacy." Despite Toph's confidence, she knew the hunt for the Dai Li was wearing on both of them. Ever since Azula had them banished, the Dai Li responded to their fugitive status by going deep underground-literally. No matter how many of these hideouts they found, the Dai Li constantly managed to evade capture.

At this point, Sokka came running down the passage, stopping to gasp for breath before addressing Aang and Toph. Sokka said, "Hey jerkbenders, thanks for making me walk here. Not all of us can just make our own elevators with magic."

Toph said, "You know, Sokka, it's not like we actually need you for this part. Aang and I can check out the cave, and you can do your science guy thing and tell us where the Dai Li are going. Simple."

"So I suppose you want the master detective to just jump to conclusions without seeing the evidence. What if you two missed some critical clue? Like this one!" Sokka triumphantly held up a rock which had been sitting on the floor of the cavern.

"That doesn't look like a clue to me," said Aang.

"That just proves how much I'm needed here," said Sokka, tossing the rock aside. "Now, I've plotted the locations of the previous Dai Li bases we discovered, and I think I know which direction they're headed. This latest cave wasn't as well hidden as the others, and the disarray indicates that it was abandoned quickly as well. That means the Dai Li knew we were onto them when they built this cave. It must have been built after we started the search a month ago."

"So we could be a month behind the Dai Li? I knew I should have thought of some better way to track them," said Aang.

"This might be slow, but at least we're getting results," Sokka replied. "Plus, if the Dai Li are busy running away from us, they won't have as much time to engage in evil plotting. I think we're done here. Let's return to the surface."

Aang, Sokka, and Toph returned to their base of operations and found General How waiting for them. They joined him in the command tent, where chairs lined a table with Sokka's map of Dai Li activity unrolled on top of it. "I have important news, Avatar," said How. "Our balloons were patrolling areas of Dai Li activity as you instructed. One of them intercepted a messenger hawk with coded communication between the Dai Li."

"What did it say?" asked Aang, eager for information.

"Although the meaning of the message is unclear, it indicates that the Dai Li are planning something significant. It references 'the blood of the Avatar' as a prerequisite for their success," said How.

"So now we know that the Dai Li are planning something, but they want Aang dead first. Neither of these things are new or useful information," Toph complained.

Sokka, however, was significantly more excited. "General, I want to talk to whoever intercepted that messenger hawk. If we can plot its location and direction of travel, this might be the first solid lead we've had on the Dai Li's current location."

"I expected you to say that," said General How. "I had the soldier who intercepted the hawk stay here. She's waiting outside for your questions."

After Sokka talked to the Earth Kingdom soldier, he discovered that a messenger hawk had arrived for him. He found out that the message was from Suki. Sokka's excitement at hearing from her changed when he read the message and discovered that Kyoshi Island had been attacked by a large group of firebenders, who had then escaped successfully. Sokka knew that he would have to abandon the hunt for the Dai Li in order to deal with this new, more immediate, threat. Sokka informed Aang and Toph that he would need to abandon the search for the Dai Li in order to deal with this new threat. Although Aang and Toph regretted the loss of Sokka's assistance, they agreed that he should go help Suki. As he flew to Kyoshi Island on a hot air balloon, Sokka hoped that Suki was unhurt.


	3. Chapter 2

Sokka arrived at Kyoshi Island, taking his balloon down with reckless speed as he saw the burned buildings from the recent attack. A group of Kyoshi Warriors and villagers was repairing the damage from the fire and catapults. Sokka was relieved to see that the damage to the town appeared minor, although he was still worried about whether anyone had been seriously hurt or killed.

Suki looked up from her repair and saw Sokka arriving in his Earth Kingdom balloon. She ran over to the balloon's landing area. Sokka jumped out of the balloon's basket as soon as it was on the ground and rushed towards her. Sokka and Suki shared a brief embrace, and then got down to business.

"I came here as soon as I could," said Sokka. "What happened?"

"A small group of Fire Nation ships arrived. At first they appeared to be merchant ships, but then they raised banners and attacked with catapults," said Suki. "Their banner featured a black sword surrounded by flame."

"How much damage did they do?" asked Sokka.

"There really wasn't much damage at all. They were very careful to keep their distance, and they fled as soon as we organized a counterattack. This attack must have been some sort of diversion, but we're not sure what they were diverting us from," said Suki.

As if on cue, village leader Oyaji arrived, shouting, "Come quickly! The Kyoshi Shrine has been ransacked!" Sokka and Suki glanced at each other in annoyance over Suki's prediction coming true, and then followed Oyaji to the shrine.

The Kyoshi Shrine was largely undamaged, but it was immediately apparent that there had been a struggle. Several Kyoshi Warriors lay unconscious or tied up near the shrine, and evidence of firebending was apparent in the scorch marks on the nearby trees. Inside, the shrine had been completely emptied of Kyoshi's possessions, leaving the walls and displays bare. Sokka remembered back to the time Kyoshi's possessions had allowed Kyoshi to manifest herself through Aang. He knew not to underestimate the power contained in the stolen items.

Suki ran to a recovering Kyoshi Warrior. "What happened, Jen?" Suki asked.

"A group of archers ambushed us from hiding," replied the warrior. "Their skill was extraordinary! We barely knew what was going on before half of us were unconscious or pinned against the wall. The archers had tattoos across their eyes."

"Yu-Yan Archers!" Sokka exclaimed. "Those guys are bad news. They once outfought and captured Aang. If they're around, we could have a real problem."

"It's even worse than that," said Jen. "After the initial attack, a large man in Fire Nation armor rode in on a mongoose dragon and attacked. He was a master firebender and swordsman. Three of us attacked him, defending ourselves from his fire blasts with our shields. Then, he drew his sword. It had a black blade, and cut through our shields like they weren't there. Without the protection of our shields, we were left vulnerable to the flames. We attempted to press the attack with our fans and katanas, but his black sword cut through those as well. After we were disarmed, the Yu-Yan Archers surrounded us at arrowpoint and tied us up. The man with the black sword told us that we were witnesses to the dawn of the new Fire Nation. He said that the Order of the Black Blade was going to conquer the world. They looted the shrine and got away on some nearby mongoose dragons."

Sokka and Suki both knew exactly where that sword was from. Sokka told Jen what was going on. "There's only one sword that fits that description. Someone's trying to make my lost space sword his personal symbol for an insane cause. I made that sword out of a unique rock from space under Master Piandao's guidance. I won't let it get used like this."

Sokka suppressed his personal feelings. "If we're going to catch the people who did this, we're going to need to apply some Sokka-style logic. First, we need to figure out who's behind this. Raising an army in secret would be almost impossible without some serious connections. If we add that to the sword-stealing guy's skill, I think we're dealing with a former Fire Nation general. We'll go over the list of suspects later. Next, we need to figure out motivation. Why would firebenders want Kyoshi's belongings?"

"I can think of two reasons," said Suki. "Either they're trying to defile the Earth Kingdom's greatest hero, or they intend to sell Kyoshi's possessions in order to raise money for their cause. Any number of collectors would pay handsomely for anything that belonged to a past Avatar."

Sokka said, "If they intended to destroy Kyoshi's belongings, they could have done that here, in front of the people she means the most to. Let's assume that it's the second one. If we're dealing with the black market, I think it's time we talked to Chit Sang. I'm going to need my beard."

Jen said, "I'm going with you two. No renegade firebender is going to use Kyoshi to fund his army and get away with it. Plus, I want a rematch against space-sword guy."

"Hey!" protested Sokka, "I'm the space-sword guy. Let's call this new guy Space-Sword-Thiefy-Type Guy. This guy is going to regret messing with Wang Fire. It's time to go to the Fire Nation!"


	4. Chapter 3

Sokka, fake beard fully in place, accompanied Suki and Jen through the back streets of the Fire Nation Capital. The three of them dressed as Fire Nation citizens. "Remember," said Sokka, "I'm Wang Fire. Suki is my wife, Saph. Jen, you're my cousin Brush. We're just everyday Fire Nationers."

"I'm still not clear on why we're talking to this Chit Sang. If he runs the black market, shouldn't we get some soldiers in here and beat him into telling us how to find Kyoshi's belongings?" asked Jen.

Sokka explained, "Chit Sang is Fire Lord Zuko's best-kept secret in restoring the Fire Nation's economy. He was imprisoned at the Boiling Rock when Zuko, Suki, my father and I made our great escape. Without his help starting a riot, we probably wouldn't have gotten out of there. His time in prison made Chit Sang a great leader and organizer. After the massive worker's strike, a lot of people had lost their jobs and wanted to keep working, but they refused to support Fire Lord Zuko. Chit Sang helped organize a black market that let people continue production without paying tax to Zuko. The workers who hate Zuko would be furious if they knew that he was personal friends with the traitor prince. Point is, Chit Sang knows about every shady deal out there, and most of his friends are Ozai-loyalists. If anyone is selling Kyoshi's stuff or assembling an army, odds are that Chit Sang knows about it."

The group arrived at Chit Sang's bar. Chit Sang's bodyguard recognized Wang Fire as a respected client, and immediately let the three pass. Despite his wealth, Chit Sang continued to dress humbly, and his accommodations were comfortable but simple. "Hey, Wang. Hey, Saph. I don't recognize your friend," said Chit Sang.

"This is my cousin, Brush Fire," said Sokka. "She works with Saph."

"All right," Chit Sang said. "Let's go into my back room so that we can talk business." The three followed him into a private, soundproofed room. Once the door closed, Chit Sang asked, "So, what's going on, guys?"

"Kyoshi Island has been attacked by Fire Nation criminals," explained Suki. "They have stolen Kyoshi's personal possessions, and we believe that they will be trying to sell them. Has anyone been organizing a rebellion or trying to find buyers for Avatar artifacts?"

Chit Sang said, "I don't think there's been a week that's gone by since Ozai was defeated without some idiot trying to organize the Fire Nation's armies for war. These past weeks have actually been really quiet. It's as if nobody's trying to organize an army anymore because the army has already been organized. Whoever did it must have some serious pull with the Fire Nation. As for selling Kyoshi goods, I haven't heard anything at all. These guys must have been contacted by a buyer before they made the plan."

"It doesn't sound like you're being very helpful," said Suki.

"One thing I can tell you is that around the time it got quiet, there was a new factory built on an island just outside the Fire Nation. They're really secretive, even for criminals. They're supposed to be producing metal pipes for plumbing, but their production has been pretty lousy," said Chit Sang.

Jen said, "If the criminals on that island might be planning something, shouldn't we just go to the island in force? I don't really see any need to be subtle here."

"If there's one thing the Fire Nation's militant nationalists have been good at," said Sokka, "it's avoiding capture. If we use force, they could just scatter and rebuild. If we know where they are, I think we should try to find out as much about their plans as we can. Chit Sang, do you think you can help me get a job on that island?"

"I'll see what I can do. One requirement they have for working there is that you have to have served in the war," said Chit Sang.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Sokka said. "Private Wang Fire was in the Fire Nation Capital on the Day of Black Sun. The Fire Nation wouldn't have had such an overwhelming victory if it hadn't been for his actions. That story has the benefit of being true."

"Sounds good. I should be able to get a job for one person. More than that might be pushing it. Come back in a week and I'll have it all set up," said Chit Sang.

Sokka turned to address Suki and Jen. "If I'm going to beat the guy who took my sword, I'm going to need to make sure that my skills are good enough. If we're going to be spending a week in the Fire Nation, I know exactly where to spend it. Let's visit Master Piandao."


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: This chapter references events depicted in Private Fire, a comic included on the book three DVDs.

Sokka stood in line to be audited for his new job at the factory. He remembered the time he had disguised himself as Wang Fire and joined the army to get more information about the Fire Nation. That time, he had had three of the world's most powerful benders ready to come to his assistance, and he didn't think he would have survived without their help. This time, he doubted he could reach outside assistance. Every time someone looked at him, Sokka felt like he was about to be recognized as one of the Avatar's closest allies. However, the beard was apparently a sufficient costume, as nobody gave the Fire Nation veteran a second glance.

When he had talked to Piandao about the fact that the leader of the movement was carrying his sword, Piandao had pointed out that the black rock which Sokka made that sword from could still be used to create another one. Sokka didn't have faith in his ability to conceal anything larger than a dagger, so he crafted a black dagger instead. The dagger felt insufficient for the danger inherent in attempting to infiltrate a mysterious enemy's organization. However, if he had to confront this movement's mysterious leader, he knew that the meteor dagger would be the only weapon which the meteor sword couldn't cut through.

Sokka reached the front of the line. The woman screening applicants read his name off her list. "Are you Wang Fire?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," Sokka replied.

"Why do you want to work at this factory?" she asked.

Sokka recited his story: "My whole life, all I cared about was serving the Fire Nation in battle. I wanted to help the people of the world by killing most of them and letting the rest enjoy the terrific benefits of our benevolent leadership. After the war was over, I didn't know what to do with myself. All I knew was that I would never work with those traitors who have abandoned our cause. I heard that the people here agree with my feelings."

"You heard correctly. I thought I recognized your name. Before he died in battle, my uncle told me about a Private Wang Fire who he met when he was a drill sergeant. However, that Wang Fire died a hero, single-handedly fighting an earthbender and a waterbender at the same time and saving an entire army of recruits in the process. If you are an impostor trying to take advantage of his legacy, I can promise that we will not be merciful."

Sokka thought quickly, taken by surprise that anyone remembered his time as Private Fire. He said, "That was me. When the earthbender triggered the cave-in, I thought I was done for. With the rocks falling all around me, I found a tunnel in the ground which the earthbender created to escape. I followed the tunnel hoping that I could stop my enemy from escaping. However, the way ahead of me was blocked. When I went back to the tunnel's entrance, I found that the rubble covered the way behind me as well. I had plenty of oxygen, but no easy means of escape. By the time I dug myself out of there, my unit had long since left for battle. I stumbled back to the nearest village, and then reported to the capital for reassignment. As a result, I was in the capital during the eclipse. None of us ever really believed that the Fire Nation capital could be invaded like that. When the firebenders lost their powers, a lot of people didn't know what to do. Most of us had never had to fight without bending on our side before. It was up to non-benders like me to keep the capital from falling long enough for Princess Azula's counterattack."

"I see. If my uncle had known that you had survived and continued to serve with distinction, I believe it would have been a great comfort to him in his last days. Welcome to the team."

Sokka continued on, feeling a little guilty about misleading someone who had lost family during the war. However, the fact that she was working for a group trying to bring that war back made his guilt vanish quickly. Sokka was lead to a room where a large man in black armor stood. Although his sword was sheathed, Sokka recognized the hilt of the sword he had made himself. Sokka had to resist the urge to draw his dagger and attack immediately, knowing that he needed more information about the organization, and that if he attacked hastily he would be unlikely to survive.

"Hello, Wang Fire. My lieutenant told me about you. Welcome to the Order of the Black Blade. You can call me Mongke. As you may have heard, our primary goal here is not to produce metal pipes, but to continue the work started by our ancestors for the glory of the Fire Nation!"

"I see," said Sokka. "Did the work of your ancestors involve making really good metal pipes?"

Mongke said, "I'm glad that you have maintained your sense of humor in these dark times. Our parents and their parents before them all devoted their lives to the hope that one day their children would be able to lead this divided world into a great era of prosperity under the banner of the Fire Nation. That hope has been all but destroyed, but we will not allow it to vanish. That is why we have assembled a secret army."

Sokka said, "I think I need to know more before I join any secret armies. If I thought you had a chance of winning, I would gladly join you. However, you'll have to tell me more about your operation, preferably starting with the number of troops you have and continuing with the locations of all your bases and any future missions you have planned."

Mongke replied, "Instead of telling you what we are doing here, I will let our deeds speak for us. We have succeeded in our first mission on Kyoshi Island. Now, we shall reap the benefits of our success. If you accompany us, we will prove that we can bring back the Fire Nation's glory and honor."

Sokka hadn't intended to actually accompany the Order of the Black Blade on a mission, but he didn't think he would be able to get any information about the coming operation if he didn't agree to help. He reluctantly said yes.

Mongke said, "Excellent. Aside from your courage in attacking two bending masters, the reason I wanted you in particular is that of all the people we've recruited, you can come the closest to passing for a member of the Water Tribe, which should help if we need someone to impersonate an enemy. Since the fall of the Fire Nation, the great prison known as the Boiling Rock has held many of the Fire Nation's greatest heroes. We will need their help if we want to win the coming war. In particular, we want Princess Azula. Our enemies have spread rumors of her madness, and claim that she isn't ready to help anyone. But I believe Azula can save the world."


	6. Chapter 5

Sokka sat on one of the Order of the Black Blade's war balloons, hoping that Suki had received and understood his message. He had been deliberately cryptic in case his messenger hawk had been intercepted. However, if the message was successful, the Boiling Rock would be fortified beyond the possibility of a jailbreak.

Seeing Sokka think, Mongke approached him. "You look a little bit nervous, Wang Fire," Mongke said.

Sokka replied, "I'm still not sure about this plan. The Boiling Rock seems completely impenetrable. Are you sure a direct attack won't just turn into a suicide mission?"

"My people would follow me to any end," said Mongke. "I agree that this direct attack has a low chance of success." At this point, Mongke lowered his voice so that only Wang Fire could hear him. "However, the way of the Black Blade is always to have plans within plans. Perhaps you have heard of the elite Earthbenders who guarded Azula during the war?"

Shocked, Sokka blurted out, "The Dai Li!"

Mongke said, "Talk softly. Yes, the Dai Li have agreed to assist us as long as we can restore Azula to her proper place as their leader and ours. It has been a running concern for me that some enemy might infiltrate our group, which is why I've hidden this part of the plan until the invasion. The Dai Li should already be eliminating whatever resistance is waiting for us on the Boiling Rock."

"Sounds like I should have had more faith in you," Sokka replied. Internally, Sokka was panicking. He hadn't predicted that the Dai Li would get involved with a Fire Nation rebellion. All available intelligence had indicated that Long Feng was back in charge of the Dai Li. There was no way he would have condoned freeing Azula. Sokka knew that if his message had gotten out, Suki would be personally guarding the Boiling Rock. He hoped that he hadn't just gotten her into a fight she couldn't survive.

As the Black Blade war balloons drew near, it became obvious that the Boiling Rock was already under attack. Sokka stroked his fake beard and got ready for a fight. The war balloons landed hard on the outer perimeter. The lack of response from the guards confirmed to Sokka that the Dai Li had successfully eliminated the guard force. The Order of the Black Blade poured out of the balloons. Inside the storage areas of the war balloons were metal frameworks which unfolded into quick siege towers. From on top of the towers the Yu-Yan Archers fired arrows with ropes on the end over to the main holding area. The arrows securely wedged into the main building and the archers tied off the other end of the ropes, creating convenient zip-lines between the shore and the holding area. Aside from a small group left behind to guard the war balloons, the Order of the Black Blade quickly zip-lined to the other side.

Mongke lead the charge into the prison area, his black sword held overhead surrounded by a halo of fire. Aside from the unconscious guards, there was no sign of the Dai Li. Sokka guessed that they had hidden underground in order to avoid revealing that they were assisting the Black Blade.

Mongke yelled, "Our advance party has opened the gates. Let's finish the job!" A cheer rose up in response. Just then, another fleet of war balloons appeared above the Boiling Rock. These balloons had the symbol of the Fire Nation on them. A group of Fire Nation soldiers dove out of the balloons with parachutes and landed in the midst of the invading party, swords and shields at the ready. Monke lead the charge to the prison area, but was delayed by a shield wall from the Fire Nation Soldiers. Sokka charged towards the soldiers, who recognized him and subtly allowed him to make it through. With this head start, Sokka dashed into the prison to find Princess Azula's cell. Mongke shouted, "Wang Fire has made it through the enemy line! Follow his lead, and rescue Azula!"

Sokka ran through the halls of the prison, the floor plan memorized from his past time inside the Boiling Rock. As he was running towards Azula's cell, he saw a Dai Li agent guarding the hall. The agent assumed that Sokka was working for the Order of the Black Blade, allowing Sokka the opportunity for a surprise attack. Sokka charged into him full force, causing the agent to slam into the prison wall. Although taken off-guard, the agent quickly threw a stone glove out, pinning Sokka's sword hand against the wall. Before the Dai Li agent could take advantage of Sokka's partial incapacitation, Sokka kicked out, hitting the agent in the head. Sokka pulled out his back-up meteor knife and easily cut through the stone restraint. The agent sent his second stone glove flying at Sokka's head in the shape of a fist. Sokka deftly dodged this glove, cutting through it with his knife as he ran towards the agent. Sokka then hit the agent in the head with the knife, handle first, knocking him unconscious. Cursing the delay, Sokka grabbed his sword, stowed his knife, and continued running down the hall towards Azula's cell.

By the time he got there, Sokka saw that his worst fears had come true. Azula's cell had been forced open, apparently by earthbending. On the ground outside the cell were two Dai Li agents, both recovering consciousness. Sokka assumed that after she had been freed, Azula had turned on her rescuers and escaped on her own. Sokka knelt down next to one of the recovering Dai Li. Holding his sword against the man's throat, Sokka demanded, "Where did Azula go?"

The agent replied, "We were sent ahead to capture Azula before the Order of the Black Blade could get here. We alerted the local platoon to the escape attempt ahead of time so that we could get away with Azula during the fight between the Order and the Fire Nation soldiers." Sokka had assumed that the reinforcements had come because of his message, but now he realized that the Dai Li had been planning the whole thing.

"Why did you betray the Order of the Black Blade? Don't you have the same goals as we do?" Sokka asked.

Before the Dai Li agent could respond, Mongke arrived with a small group of followers, all clearly exhausted from battle. "Wang Fire, what has happened here?" Mongke demanded.

"I got to Azula's cell as quickly as I could, but the Dai Li got here first. They were planning to betray us and kidnap Azula right from the beginning!" Sokka said.

Mongke was visibly shocked by this news. "The Dai Li can't be working against us. They attacked the Boiling Rock on my orders. We had a deal!"

Sokka ignored Mongke's protests. "Azula is trying to escape on her own. If we hurry back to our landing area, we might be able to catch up to her. Follow me everybody!" The Order of the Black Blade followed Sokka down the hall. Mongke got ready to retake command, but he saw that the group was already following Wang Fire's orders.

Sokka reached the outer courtyard just in time to see Azula running along the cable to the outer beach, headed towards the Order's war balloons. Sokka wasn't sure what he was going to do if they managed to catch up to her, but he knew that she would be easier to find if she was with the Order than she would be on her own. By the time the Yu-Yan Archers had made a zip-line back to the beach, Azula was already flying away in one of the war balloons. Over the horizon, more Fire Nation soldiers were arriving in balloons, ready to secure the Boiling Rock once more. As he watched the Fire Nation balloons approach, Sokka began to form a plan. In order for it to work, he would have to help the Order of the Black Blade escape.

Sokka turned to address the Order. "Everyone load onto the remaining balloons! We don't have time to help our fallen comrades. This mission may have been a failure, but if we escape now, we can still track Azula later!"

Tired of having his authority usurped, Mongke yelled, "Don't listen to Wang Fire! With the prison guards as hostages, we can hold this beach and make sure that everyone in the Order avoids capture! The Boiling Rock will be the launching point of our new revolution!" Among the members of the Order, there was dissent at the idea of taking Fire Nation citizens as hostages. Mongke's orders went unacknowledged, and everyone followed Sokka onto the war balloons.

As the Boiling Rock faded from view, Sokka reflected on the day's events. Azula's escape had been a major defeat, and he was doubly concerned by the mysterious motives of the Dai Li. On the bright side, he knew that whatever the Dai Li was planning with Azula hadn't gone their way either. Azula was now alone, and if he was really lucky, Azula and the Dai Li would be too busy fighting to cause trouble for anyone else. However, the most important thing was that Sokka had a plan to get the Order of the Black Blade to work for him. Without really trying, Sokka had already disrupted Mongke's authority. Mongke's position was made even more precarious by his misplaced trust in the Dai Li. By this time tomorrow, Wang Fire would be in command of the Order of the Black Blade.


End file.
